Nielsen's Live+Same Day returns give The Talk an average 2.8 million viewers between Sept. 9 and Sept. 13. That's up 20 percent from last year's premiere week average of 2.33 million viewers.

This is the closest The Talk's audience has ever come to its main competitor, The View. The ABC show, entering its final season with Barbara Walters and recently losing stars Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, averaged 3.01 million daily viewers last week -- even with its 2012 premiere week.

Among women 25-54, The Talk averaged a 1.2 rating/8 share. Also up 20 percent from last year's premiere week, it matches highs in the demo and The View's performance for the same week.

The momentum of The Talk's growth during such a pivotal year for The View should prove to be one of the more interesting daytime ratings stories over the 2013-14 season. And the genre of female-focused panels looks likely to see even more competition next season, with this summer's test run of The Real drawing promising ratings in select markets.